More than 25 Million Americans Are Starting or Running New Businesses

During the past two years, more than 25 million Americans were starting or running new businesses in the United States—according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2016 United States Report released by Babson College. Additionally, more than half of Americans see good opportunities around them for starting a business.

Unique to this GEM report is a city-level analysis of entrepreneurship in Boston, Miami, and Detroit. Collectively, they provide a window into how entrepreneurship occurs locally in different parts of the United States.

"While entrepreneurship is promoted and celebrated nationally, many initiatives occur at the city level, like Boston's MassChallenge and Miami's Venture Hive accelerators," said Babson College Professor and report co-author Donna Kelley. "It is important to identify a city's needs and monitor progress relative to entrepreneurship—whether that means, for example, supporting women or youth entrepreneurs, or assisting ventures that introduce innovations or create jobs."

This latest GEM report provides a comprehensive and detailed account of entrepreneurship in the United States. A key aim is to provide a broad audience—educators, researchers, policymakers, practitioners—with information and analysis that can enhance understanding, decision making, and actions regarding entrepreneurship. In its 18th consecutive year, GEM continues to serve as the largest and most comprehensive single study of entrepreneurship in the world.

U.S. Highlights

Fifty-seven percent of Americans see good opportunities around them for starting a business. This is what distinguishes the United States most when compared to the world's other 26 innovation-driven economies, where, on average, 41 percent see entrepreneurial opportunities around them.

U.S. entrepreneurs also are driven most by opportunity (88 percent). Necessity motives dropped to only 11 percent—below the low level reported in 2008, before the recession depressed entrepreneurship rates in the years that followed.

Thirty-seven percent of all U.S. entrepreneurs are developing and delivering innovative products or services. This represents the highest level on this indicator in 15 years—higher than the average for all other innovation economies (31 percent).

U.S. entrepreneurs are twice as likely to compete in the finance sector compared to the average innovation-driven economy.

While the 26 other innovation-driven economies demonstrate their highest total entrepreneurial activity among 25- to 34-year-olds, the U.S. actually peaks in the next oldest age group, among the 35- to 44-year-olds.

The slight overall rise in U.S. TEA rate is due to an increase among women entrepreneurs. More women entered entrepreneurship last year than the year before, while this level has remained the same for men.

Boston, Miami, and Detroit

Regional TEA Activity:

Miami—22 percent

Detroit—20 percent

National average—12.6 percent

Boston—12 percent

Close to one out of five entrepreneurs in Miami and one out of six entrepreneurs in Detroit are starting businesses out of necessity. Only 8 percent of entrepreneurs in Boston are doing the same.

Both Boston (46 percent) and Detroit (43 percent) show higher levels of innovative entrepreneurial activity compared to the national average, with Boston's level nearly twice that of Miami (24 percent).

Detroit stands out for having the highest entrepreneurship levels among the lowest third of the income category, while the highest third of the income earners are most likely to start businesses in Boston and Miami.

Age patterns show high entrepreneurship rates among young people in Detroit, those in mid-career in Miami, and people in their late careers in Boston.

Out of the three cities, Boston demonstrates the widest entrepreneurship gender gap. Women in Boston start businesses at around half the rate that men in Boston do.

Capability perceptions are at or above the national average in Miami (60 percent) and Detroit (57 percent). Likewise, compared to the national average, a lower proportion of entrepreneurs in Miami (27 percent) and Detroit (21 percent) are afraid to fail. People in Boston, however, did not exhibit high perceptions about startup capabilities, and they reported a higher fear of failure than in the other two cities.

In Miami (24 percent) and Boston (36 percent), a larger percentage of entrepreneurs have at least some graduate education compared to the national average (19 percent).

In terms of industry:

Miami shows high startup activity in manufacturing/transportation

Boston has higher-than-average levels in information/communications technology and finance/real estate

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